Improved rammer for many-chambered breech fire-arms



J KERR.

Revolver.

Patented Apr. 14, 1857.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES KERR, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1%,044, dated April 14, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES KERR, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city of London, England, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Rammers for Many- Ohambered Breech Fire-Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of a pistol with my improved rammer applied, and Figs. 2 and 3 sections taken at thelines A aand B bofFigl.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My said invention is applicable gene ally to that class of fire-arms in which the charges are contained in a series of parallel chambers made in a rotating cylinder-breech so located within an iron body or frame that when rotated the several chambers shall be brought in succession to the line of the barrel 5 and my said invention consists in the arrangement of a cylindrical rammer fitted to slide in a guidegroove made in the side of the iron body or frame which surrounds the rotating breech, and so located that by the rotation the several chambers can be broughtin succession in line with the rammer, the said rammer being operated by a cam-lever turning on a fulcrum-pin at the side of the body or frame, and the cam part sliding in a mortise in the rammer, so as to give to the said rammer a longer range of motion than could be obtained by the lever action alone.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the iron body or frame, in which the breech b, with its series of chambers c, rotates. One side of this body or frame is formed with a longitudinal groove, (1, which in its cross-scction presents a segment of a circle, and to this groove is fitted a cylindrical rammer, 0 so that when held therein itcan be moved up and down freely and in a line with the chambers 0 as each in succession is brought to the required position by the rotation of the breech. That end of the ram mer which acts on the ball to be rammed should be made of the reverse shape of the ball, as atf; and near the other end it has a mortise made through it to receive the cam-lever g, which passes through and works in it. The part of the said leverg which works in the mortise ot' the rammer is curved in the segment of a circle, or nearly so, and the extremity beyond the curve turns on a fulcrumpin, 72, which is tapped into theside of a projection, i, of the body or frame at, below the barrelj. The inner face of this lever lies against the side of the body or frame a, and the handle part along the side of the barrel when the rammer is drawn out to its greatest distance from the breech. Theinner face ofthe handle is notched to catch on a projecting pin, Ir, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) on the side of the barrel, the handle of the lever being sufficiently thin to act as a spring-catch to hold the rammer away from the breech.

From the foregoing it will be seen that as the lever is fitted in the mortise of the rammer and is held against the face of the body or frame a the rammer will be held thereby in the groove d, which thus becomes the guidetothe motions of the rammer to force the ball into any one of the chambers when brought in line; and it will also be seen that the rammer is operated not only by the levcractioa, not by the cam force of that part of the lever which slides in the mortise, thereby giving the manner a greaterrange ofmotion than could be imparted to it by the lever action alone, while at the same time the whole is made compact and song, liable to derangement, and cheap in the construction.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to the peculiar form of the cam part of thelever, nor to the manner of catching and holding it against the barrel, as these may be modified within the range ot'my invention.

What- I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Fitting the rammer for ramming the charges in the chambers of the rotating breech of tirearms in alongitmlinal groove in thesideot'the body or frame, substantially as described, in combination with the cam -lever titt d to a mortise in the rammer tor-operating it in manner substantially as described.

JAMES KERR.

Witnesses:

U. A. SEWARD, R. S. RIPLEY. 

